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The Piedmont Triad Partnership is asking the NC Board of Transportation of a new interstate that would connect Greensboro with Moncure, which is located in Chatham County. The corridor in question is US 421. The purpose of the interstate would be to serve as a connection to several megasites along the corridor, like the PTI’s aerospace center, the Greensboro-Randolph County project near Liberty, the Chatham Advanced Manufacturing site in Siler City and the Moncure Megasite. The Vice President of the organization points out the other purpose of this road would be to directly connect Greensboro with I-95. Although US 421 already runs from Greensboro to I-95 in Dunn, another idea would be instead to use NC 87 from Sanford to Fayetteville, since it would also connect to a major military base, Fort Bragg.
This is simply an idea floated by the organization, and nothing in policy. What are your ideas on this proposal? An important corridor needed for the state and especially Greensboro? Or another unneeded interstate that will never be completed?
Thanks for the kudos, but it's actually gsoboi78 that deserves the credit. He found the article first and posted it in the thread linked below. I posted the article on AARoads forum as soon as I saw it.
As I mentioned before, unless that interstate turns and follows NC-87 to I-295 in Fayetteville, it stands no chance of happening, IMO. I think it would gain much more support at the state and federal levels if the interstate was sold as a way to link Fort Bragg to the Midwest by linking it with the interstates in Greensboro that lead to I-77 near Mount Airy (via I-40 and US-52/I-74). As eastern NC discovered, having military support is a huge asset toward gaining future interstates.
Thanks for the kudos, but it's actually gsoboi78 that deserves the credit. He found the article first and posted it in the thread linked below. I posted the article on AARoads forum as soon as I saw it.
As I mentioned before, unless that interstate turns and follows NC-87 to I-295 in Fayetteville, it stands no chance of happening, IMO. I think it would gain much more support at the state and federal levels if the interstate was sold as a way to link Fort Bragg to the Midwest by linking it with the interstates in Greensboro that lead to I-77 near Mount Airy (via I-40 and US-52/I-74). As eastern NC discovered, having military support is a huge asset toward gaining future interstates.
The proposal as it stands now has no chance, IMO.
Y'all must have not driven down that way in a while because they built a bypass around Sanford so it's pretty much interstate now, and no stop lights anymore from south of Sanford until Pleasant Garden Rd in Greensboro. Which is really good because having to go through Sanford used to take a lot of time now it's a straight shot around it.
I grew up on 421 around Pleasant Garden and the last time I was on it was 6 months ago when I had to fly to NC for a job interview at Ft. Bragg. Luckily I had enough time to go visit family up in Greensboro while I was there that's why I know the condition of that road.
They might just rename it like they did 220 and do some improvements on the road to Moncure from Sanford.
I don't think "Fort Bragg to Midwest" would be a selling point. Would be nice for all large cities in the state to have a highway network connecting each other, is better. I don't think anyone who lives on Fort Bragg actually drives that far considering they could get free flights, and very often do.
Making a highway that connects Charlotte, the Triad, The Triangle, and the Sandhills would be a good point to make.
Looks the idea (albeit slightly altered) will eventually become a reality. The bipartisan infrastructure bill that Biden signed designates US-421 as a future interstate between I-85 in Greensboro and I-95 in Dunn. It is expected that NCDOT will request approval from AASHTO to designate it as Future I-685. AASHTO's next meeting is next spring, so the request will probably be made then.
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He found the article first and posted it in the thread linked below. I posted the article on AARoads forum as soon as I saw it.
